The Versatile Roles of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Colorectal Cancer and Therapeutic Implications

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

Longfei Deng¹  Yi Wang²  Jun Zeng³  Nianfen Jiang⁴  Hongjuan Cui⁵ 

[1] Cancer Center, Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, China;Department of General Surgery, The Ninth People’s Hospital of Chongqing, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest University, Chongqing, China;Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China;Health Management Center, Southwest University Hospital, Chongqing, China;State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China;

关键词: cancer-associated fibroblast;    colorectal cancer;    hallmark;    tumor microenvironment;    therapeutics;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fcell.2021.733270

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is populated by abundant cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) that radically influence the disease progression across many cancers, including the colorectal cancer (CRC). In theory, targeting CAFs holds great potential in optimizing CRC treatment. However, attempts to translate the therapeutic benefit of CAFs into clinic practice face many obstacles, largely due to our limited understanding of the heterogeneity in their origins, functions, and mechanisms. In recent years, accumulating evidence has uncovered some cellular precursors and molecular markers of CAFs and also revealed their versatility in impacting various hallmarks of CRC, together helping us to better define the population of CAFs and also paving the way toward their future therapeutic targeting for CRC treatment. In this review, we outline the emerging concept of CAFs in CRC, with an emphasis on their origins, biomarkers, prognostic significance, as well as their functional roles and underlying mechanisms in CRC biology. At last, we discuss the prospect of harnessing CAFs as promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of patients with CRC.

【 授权许可】

Unknown